Marceline and Bonnibel
by deathbybunny
Summary: Marceline is the daughter of a wanted gang leader, Bonnibel is the daughter of the Mayor trying to get rid of him. With all this going on, Marceline finds herself falling for her. Will their love prevail or will Marceline's life of crime destroy it?
1. Chapter 1 Welcome to Ooo

**AN:** Holy crap I can't believe I managed to start this story! Honestly, this is going to be a big project since I'm trying to create Ooo in a more modern setting except I'm using the Adventure Time characters of course. First off, this story is going to be AU. If you don't like that kind of story then hit the back button now.

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Still with me? All right then I'll move on. Now, the characters are all going to retain their species type e.g. Marceline is still a vampire, Bubblegum is still a Candy/Human hybrid ect. Let's see what else, oh I chose names for Marceline, Bubblegum, and LSP's parents since they'll be making more than one appearance in the story and I think it'll get hard referring to them without names. So I chose them based on some of the creator or voice actors of the characters. I'll also be putting small bios of the characters at the end of the chapters to help you picture them in this story. I think that's it. If not I'm sure I'll edit this at a later time.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Adventure Time. I think everyone knows that by now.

Marceline and Bonnibel

Chapter 1 Welcome to Ooo

Dark clouds rolled across the sky in the City of Ooo. Their rumbling and flashing lights within cautioned everyone of the rain that was soon to come. Tom Ward looked up at the sky and sighed as he adjusted his glasses. Rain always made it difficult to secure a crime scene of evidence, especially when the crime had taken place outside in an alley. It was hard enough to find anything as it was. He didn't need the rain to wash away anything of potential use.

"We better pick up the pace boys. Let's get everything we can before the weather decides to drench the crime scene."

"Yes sir!"

Tom took his attention away from the weather to give the crime scene another once over. At 4:35PM, they got a report of a body in an alley near downtown Ooo. He'd arrived with his partner, Joshua DiMaggio, to find the body of a local drug addicted everyone referred to as the Royal Tart Toter. No one knew his real name and any attempts to find out who he was lead to dead ends. He'd heard rumors that the old gingerbread man was a veteran of the Mushroom Wars and that he'd gone mad from the things he witnessed during that time. He'd heard others say he was once the owner of a successful Tart company until it went belly up and he drowned his sorrows in alcohol and drugs.

Whatever his story was, Tom felt he didn't deserve to end up like he did. No one deserved to be killed and then left in an alley like yesterday's trash.

"Another rough night huh?" Joshua asked as he walked up to his partner.

"I'll say. Going to have to phone the Missus and let her know I'll be home late today."

His wife, Maria, was a very understanding woman. At least he felt she was. It wasn't being easy the wife a police officer sometimes. It definitely tested one's relationship with their family. It was the one thing he didn't like about his job. He was always away at odd hours and sometimes he felt if he were around more, his daughter wouldn't be so rebellious. Penelope "Lumpy" Ward was certainly the definition of a rebellious teenager.

"So, did we find anything?"

"There were some hairs found on the guy. We're hoping the boys from the lab give us something to work with." Joshua sighed. "Or they could just be some sort of animal hair. Who knows how long the poor fella's been out here."

"We better hope something turns up then."

Above him, the sky rumbled before a curtain of water began to descend on the police officers. The two officers quickly whipped out their umbrella to shield them from the storm. Joshua sighed dramatically.

"Don't want to go home smelling like wet dog, but there's only so much I can do."

Tom chuckled. It must be hard being a dog in this weather.

"Why don't you just head home Joshua? I hate to say this but there's nothing much for us to do here. There were no witnesses to talk to except for the gal that found the body and the boys should be by soon to pick up the body."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. You said it was your boy Jake's birthday today right? Go celebrate it with him."

"Thanks Tom. I owe you one. Call me if anything comes up though. You're not going after any leads without me."

"Will do."

Joshua nodded and took off towards home. Tom turned back to re-evaluate the scene hoping to catch something he missed.

"Sir!"

"What is it?"

"We found something!"

Tom quickly made his way further down the alley. His deputies were holding their umbrellas over whatever they found, trying to protect it form the rain. Tom rubbed his forehead at what laid there.

It was a wooden stake stuck in a shirt. The clothes the unfortunate victim wore were left on the floor like he'd just disappeared from them. In a sense, that is what happened when a vampire was killed. Their clothes would remain behind as their physically body shriveled into dust.

"Hmm, looks like these two murders might be associated."

"Wrong place at the wrong time?" one of his deputies offered.

Tom nodded. That could be what happened. The poor old gingerbread man could've witnessed the dispute between two gangs and had been killed so he wouldn't talk. Not like he could have reported anything. The gingerbread man was insane after all. The assailants obviously didn't care if he could or couldn't. They covered all their tracks.

"Well, search the clothes and see if we can find any sort of ID on the victim. I have a feeling we'll be getting more bodies if this is gang related."

"Yes sir."

The lumpy police officer shook his head as he walked away from the new crime scene. Things like this were becoming more and more common around Ooo. People would mysteriously disappear then turn up dead. Kids and adults were found dead from overdoses. He remembered a time when a death was a rare occurrence as opposed to the norm. This was why their Mayor was so dead set on getting rid of these gangs.

He admired what the Mayor wanted to do but it wasn't that easy. He didn't understand how things worked on the streets. Even if they got rid of the leaders, that didn't mean that the others wouldn't regroup and rebuild. It was the only life they knew so why change that? Joshua feared what would happen if the gangs lost their leadership. The only thing he could picture was chaos in the streets.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"**Hello?"**

"Hey honey."

"**Oh. It's just you Daddy."**

Tom couldn't help but notice the disappointment in his daughter's voice.

"Expecting someone else?"

"**No. Do you need to talk to mom or something?"**

"Yes, that would be great honey."

"**Alright, one sec. MOM! It's Daddy!"**

Tom had to pull the phone away from his ear. He was sure he'd go deaf one of these days from his daughter's screaming. Until then though, he hoped to enjoy his hearing for a little while longer.

Above him, the sky continued to rumble and soak the earth with water. It was just another day in the City of Ooo.

**AN:** I know it was a short chapter but I got to start somewhere. Oh and in case you didn't realize it, but Tom is LSP's dad and Joshua is Jake's dad. I'll have bio's for them later. Next chapter we meet the rest of the main characters will be making their debut. As always, comments are appreciated. Until next time!

Oh and here are the first two bio's.

**Marceline McQueen**

Age: 17

Birthday: March 11

Gender: Female

Species: Vampire/Shapeshifter

Favorite saying: "I only do things that are fun."

Family: Martin- Father (alive); Olivia- Mother (deceased)

Most precious possession: Hambo

Marceline is the only child of the infamous gang leader known as the Lord of Evil. Her mother passed away when she was only 5 years old and remembers very little about her. She grew up knowing there was something different about her family. By the time she turned 13, she realized that her father was a crime lord. Not wanting to get anyone around her to into trouble because of her family, she distanced herself from everyone at her school and only associated with members of the gang. As a result, she doesn't have any friends at school and gets into trouble on a daily basis.

Despite being the daughter of a crime lord, she has fantastic grades, which irritates her classmates since she ditches class so much. Marceline knows that her father wants her to take over the gang once he retires and she had no problem with it.

Marceline is not full vampire but since no one knows the connection to her father, she refers to herself as such. The vampire blood comes from her mother and her shape shifting abilities she's gained from her father who is a demonic creature with some vampire in his blood. Once she turns 18, her father must "turn" her. It's more of a coming of age ceremony for all vampires who wish to be able to have access to their full vampire abilities. The down side is she will no longer be able to go into the sun. Marceline uses her mother's maiden name in order to not be traced to her father.

**Bonnibel "Princess" Bubblegum**

Age: 17

Birthday: June 18

Gender: Female

Species: Candy People/Human

Favorite saying: "The answer was so simple, I was too smart to see it!"

Parents: Adam- Father (alive); Natasha- Mother (alive)

Most precious possession: A T-shirt Marceline gave her.

Bonnibel is the daughter of the Mayor of Ooo. She is an incredibly smart girl and hopes to work in the field of chemistry after she attends University, however, she knows her parents want her to enter into politics like them. She's hesitant about it but has not had the courage to voice her wishes. She's been Marceline's classmate since they were in elementary school and were even once friends. However, after they entered middle school, she and Marceline had a fight and had not spoken to each other since. She has no idea that Marceline's dad is the crime lord that her father is trying to catch thus she does not know the reason she was pushed out of Marceline's life.

Even though they haven't spoken for years, she still misses the other girls since she was the only person that she was able to completely open up to. A chance run in with her at school gives her a second chance to mend their broken friendship and possibly develop it into something else.

Bonnibel is a hybrid of Candy People and Humans. After she turns 18, she will stop aging at a normal rate and could live to be thousands of years old. Her people make up the majority of the City of Ooo where many kinds of species live.


	2. Chapter 2 Of Bullies and Extortionists

**AN:** Welcome back! First of all, thank you to everyone who read this story and is giving it a chance. I greatly appreciate that. Second, I want to thank the following for reviewing:

**yyAnonymousyy, RenegadePineapple, TheMad Chesire, YuriRulez, and the anonymous reviewer.**

Thank you for giving me some feedback on the first chapter. It's always good to know that I'm either doing well or need to improve things. I hope to continue hearing from you guys. I hope you all enjoy chapter two!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

Marceline and Bonnibel

Chapter 2 Of Bullies and Extortionists

"Please! I'm begging you to help me!"

Marceline McQueen listen half-heartedly to one of her classmates beg at her feet. Sometimes, she hated being stuck in detention. It was the only time that anyone could actually track her down. She use to end up in detention a lot more often but after kids started visiting her, asking for her help, she'd started to lessen the number of trips there. Today, this unfortunate soul ventured into the detention room to ask for her services.

"I'll pay whatever price you ask! Please, just help me!"

The vampire girl sighed. It was a pain but it brought in money for her gang. Marceline was known to offer protection to students if they'd paid her the right price. Of course this was always just a rumor. She made sure her clients knew well not to disclose anything that may have actually gone done in their deals. She liked to keep her business dealings a secret as much as possible.

She gazed at the candy boy with disinterest. The kids she got begging to her were always the same. Her usual clients were students who were being bullied. Be it by other students inside the school or others on the outside. In her school, there was no shortage of students who wanted nothing more than to be protected even if it meant making a deal with the devil or in this case, a vampire.

"Quit your groveling. You know my price. Pay up if you have it or get out."

The little candy corn boy thanked her continuously before handing over an envelope to her. Marceline took a peek inside to make sure all her money was there.

"Alright kid, consider your bully problem taken care of."

"Thank you, thank you!"

The candy corn kid ran out of the room without looking back. Marceline shook her head. True, she was never short of clients but if she took care of ALL the bullies in her school then she'd run out of business. Which is why she was extremely selective about who she chose to "help". She quickly whipped out her cell phone and called a certain number.

"Yes?"

"Tell Ash to lay off the candy corn kid. He's paid up."

"Understood."

Marceline hung up without another word. She smirked to herself. Of course not all the bullying cases were genuine. Sometimes, she had to create business for herself. She wasn't the daughter of the Lord of Evil for nothing. The teacher eventually returned and allowed her leave her prison. She found herself to be in a good mood after her successful business transaction. She calmly made her way to the back of the school, happy that her day was turning out to actually be rather pleasant.

Bubblegum High, which was named after the family of the town's mayor, was your average private school. Being that she was the daughter of an evil crime lord, he wanted to make sure that she was in a fairly safe school. As sweet as that was of him, Marceline hated going to private school. She wasn't one to wear uniforms so when she found out she had to wear one she was less than pleased. Still, her father was doing this for her own safety so she'd relented and agreed to attend. She did though, make the uniform all her own.

The first thing she ditched was the dorky dress shoes in favor of her converse. Her red tie would hang loosely around her neck. She chose to forgo the black blazer that came with the uniform. There was also a black vest they were given the option to wear but she decided not to use that either. Instead she made sure her white button up shirt was not tucked into her black skirt, which was not part of the regulation uniform. The skirt was suppose to be a red plaid one but Marceline had decided that black was more her color. A black belt hung loosely at her waist and she also wore several rings on her fingers. Her outfit was finished off with a velvet black choker that had two red bloody dots where she'd eventually be bitten when she'd come of age. There was no denying that Marceline looked like the rebel she was.

Yawning, she stopped and looked casually around the halls of the school. If there was one thing the school reeked of it was money. Most of the well to do families sent their kids to Bubblegum High; therefore the school was always receiving generous donations from those families. Everything in the school was state of the art. The best money could buy. With so much money being thrown around, it became immediately apparent in the school population who got in because they had money and who was there on a scholarship. This is why some of the less rich kids got bullied around by those who had "status".

Marceline hated that kind of thinking. Sure, she acted all high and mighty around everyone but she never really thought that anyone was beneath her. It was that kind of thing that caused people like her dad to form his gang all those years back. In those days, when vampires began migrating to the City of Ooo, they were never welcomed. They were thought of as a nuisance, an unwanted thing. The citizens didn't bother to try to understand them and instead were persecuted without a second thought.

Of course things were now a lot better but that was because her father worked so hard to make relations better. Not that anyone knew that though. Her father had other vampires doing the work at the forefront while he ran things in the shadows. After all, the gang he'd built was now involved in much shadier things and she doubted anyone would take kindly to knowing that a crime lord was actually pulling the strings. Strings that she would be pulling once her father handed his position over to her.

Marceline was so distracted with her thoughts she didn't notice a certain pink girl heading her way.

"Ouch!"

Her opinion of her day quickly changed when she found herself lying on her back.

"Watch where you're going!" she hissed at whomever she bumped into.

"I'd say the same to you Marceline McQueen."

The vampire girl did a double take just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Sitting on the ground across from her was none other than Bonnibel Bubblegum, her ex-best friend. Initially she scowled at the other girl, but then a smirk found it's way to her face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Bonnibel Bubblegum. What brings you around this part of the school?"

Marceline walked around the pink girl like a wolf circling its prey. Part of her though it would be best to just leave the girl alone, but another couldn't help but feel giddy at being able to interact with the girl again. It'd been four years since the last time they talked. Their last conversation hadn't exactly ended well.

Bonnibel got up and dusted herself off. She ignored the vampire girl as best she could.

"Oh, is miss goody two shoes not going to answer me?"

"Hmph, I don't believe I owe you an explanation for where I go."

"You do realize this is my turf right?"

"The back of the school doesn't belong to you Marceline."

"You sure about that?"

"Positive. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do."

Marceline's scowl returned. "Are you saying I'm not good enough for you to talk to?"

Bonnibel began to walk away from her. The vampire girl did not appreciate being ignored like that. She reached out and grabbed her arm. She knew she should just let this go and return to ignoring the pink girl, but once again, a traitorous part of her brain wanted nothing more than to extend this conversation for as long as possible.

"Don't ignore me." She hissed as she pulled Bonnibel back to face her.

The girl glared right back at the vampire.

"I'm not the one who decided I wasn't good enough for you." She said sounding angrier than the vampire girl had ever heard her.

Marceline felt like she'd been slapped. She let go of Bonnibel and watched as the girl briskly made her way back into the school. Marceline growled in anger. She punched the nearest wall causing a dent to form from the impact. She knew Bonnibel was right. It had been her to decide to end their friendship.

"_That doesn't mean she can throw that in my face!"_

Marceline took a few deep breaths. That wasn't true. Bonnibel had every right to be angry with her. She had every right to throw that back in her face. That didn't mean she had to like though. She wished she could tell her the real reason why she'd ended their friendship, but if she did, she'd be exposing her dad. Something she was unwilling to do. It didn't matter what her dad did for a living, he was still her father and he loved her very much. There was no way she was going jeopardized the only family she had left.

Her phone brought her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she growled.

"Your father wants you at tonight's meeting."

"Fine. Tell him I'll be there."

She hung up and stalked out of the school. Her unpleasant aura made sure everyone stayed out of her way.

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

Bonnibel watched from a window as Marceline left the school. She looked sadly at the vampire girl's form. Their first conversation in years and it hadn't ended any better than their last. She couldn't help but lash out at her though! It wasn't like they'd gone to different schools all this time. They even had classes together but Marceline had refused to acknowledge her. Then out of the blue, she'd decided she was worth talking to again.

It utterly infuriated her. Yet she also had felt happy that she'd finally noticed her again. She tried to shake those thoughts from her mind.

"_No! I'm suppose to be mad at her!"_

"Bonnie!"

Bonnibel's best friend Penelope "Lumpy" Ward came floating towards her.

"Oh, Lumpy. What's wrong?"

"Like, oh my glob! Brad broke up with me!"

Bonnibel gasped. "No! But why?"

She tried her best to console her heartbroken friend but she didn't have a lot of experience when it came to those kinds of things. Being the daughter of the mayor, a lot of boys either wanted to date her for her status or they were too afraid to ask out the daughter of the mayor. Either way, it made it difficult for her to date anyone since she was always wary that she was being used. The only people she could say were her true friends were Lumpy and Lady Rainicorn…and Marceline at one point in her life.

"He said that he liked someone else! That jerk!"

"Oh, Lumpy. I'm sure it'll be okay."

"No it won't! He was the only one for me!"

"Come on now. Let's go to my house and talk more about it there."

"No, I need to find Marceline."

"W-what? Why?"

Lumpy sniffed. "Brad must pay that's why!"

"I'm afraid I'm not following."

The lumpy girl rolled her eyes. "Like don't you listen to the to the gossip around here?"

Bonnibel shook her head. Lumpy sighed but proceeded to explain non-the less.

"Rumor has it that Marceline's in a gang and that she takes jobs for a certain price."

"What? Marceline? Are you sure?"

Lumpy shrugged. "Who knows for sure? Anyone who has made a deal with her has like been sworn to secrecy or something. They don't talk and neither does she."

Bonnie did not like the path that Lumpy was heading. She was having more difficulty wrapping her mind around the fact that Marceline was in some sort of gang. She only knew of one gang all Vampires' joined and she knew for a fact her father was trying to bring them down. Why on earth would she get involved with something so bad?

The pink girl managed to convince her friend to drop her plans for revenge for the time being by bribing her with ice cream. When all else failed, ice cream always helped to heal a broken heart after all.

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

Marceline sat next to her father at their meeting. They normally only had a meeting once a month but if they were all called now, it meant that something was going on. Something big. Martin sat at the head of a long table, his hair was slicked back and he wore a dark purple business suit with red boots. You'd think a man in purple wouldn't be imposing but it wasn't so funny when he crushing your skull with those cowboy boots. Marceline had a pair of her own once she saw how devastating a boot to the face could be.

"We lost on of our own last night."

Everyone present began to whisper and murmur. Marceline herself was scowling more than usual. Her earlier run in with Bonnibel was still fresh in her mind and this bit of news was doing little to improve her mood.

"This is a the first time a General had been taken out." One of the vampires in the meeting stated.

Martin nodded. "It is. It's also the first time a professional has been involved."

"They **hired** someone? Bastards."

"Do we know who put the hit out?"

Martin shook his head. "No, but we're working on it. We have a short list of suspects after all."

"It has to be the Lumpy Outlaws!" One of their generals shouted. "They're cowards with no qualms about hiring others to do their dirty work!"

"The Goblin Boys aren't much better." Marceline spoke up. "Xergiok isn't exactly the type of guy who plays fair."

"She's right. We can't rule out that any of them are responsible."

"We also are facing the possibility of a snitch amongst us." Martin casually threw out.

"What?"

The whole room was thrown into chaos.

"SILENCE!"

Martin quickly calmed the room and elaborated on his assumption.

"No one knew that deal was going down expect the people in this room. I can only assume then that one of you has betrayed me. If not then I suggest you find out how this leak happened and do it fast. This meeting is over."

Slowly, the vampires began to stand and leave the room.

"Oh one more thing."

Everyone froze.

"I do hope none of you plan to leave town tonight. I'd hate to have to drag you back if you tried."

All the vampires in the room became paler at the threat. They had no doubt that their leader would personally make sure their punishment was long and torturous. Marceline couldn't help but smirk at the fear the others displayed in the presence of her father.

"Marceline."

"Yes."

"I'll need you to be more careful from now on."

"It's that bad?"

Martin nodded. He walked over to a window and looked outside. It was a stormy night again.

"I already know it wasn't one of them."

"Then why the threat?"

"To make them work faster. I need to know who betrayed us and soon. Not only are my generals in danger but you as well. Whoever it is will find out that you're my daughter if they don't already know."

"What should I do?"

"I need you to start attending school on a more regular basis."

"Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to just drop out and stay here with you?"

Martin shook his head.

"Marceline, I don't claim to be father of the year, but I promised your mother that you would finish school. I already broke one promise to her. I won't break another."

Marceline grew quiet at hearing about her mother. She was very young when she'd passed and didn't remember her too well. All she had was pictures to go by and things that her father would tell her. Still, hearing that her mother had wanted her to graduate made her feel warm inside.

"Fine, I guess. You sure it'll be safe?"

Martin nodded.

"We may be criminals but we all have agreed to not turn places like schools into war zones."

Marceline had always found that particular rule odd but she figured that her father couldn't be the only crime lord with children. The rule made more sense if that was the case. It didn't mean she was going to let her guard down however. She had a feeling whoever was hiring hit men would care less that she was in school if it meant she could be used to get to her father.

"If you think that's what's best. I'll start going on a regular basis then."

The vampire girl stood up and made her way out of the room.

"Marceline."

She stopped.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

The Vampire girl frowned.

"Don't apologize. We've already talked about this."

"I know, but I still feel the need to."

"Just…don't worry about it anymore."

She left the room before her father said anything else. Leaning against the door, she sighed. This was the life she willingly chose. If anyone should be apologizing it should be her to her mother for not listening to her wish. Still, Marceline felt this was the best choice she could've made. Her father couldn't rule forever. Eventually, someone would need to take his place. His generals were loyal to him but they weren't above backstabbing each other to get her father's position. The Vampire gang would fall apart if they were to divide into factions to get the power. Not only that, but their power struggle would eventually spill into the streets.

Marceline would not allow that to happen. With Martin having picked her as his successor, there was no power struggle to worry about. She still had a feeling the generals weren't all that excited that they'd been denied the chance to take power, but there was one reason they made no move against her. Not only because Martin would make their remaining lives a living hell, but also because Marceline was almost as powerful as her father and her powers weren't even fully awakened. They already feared what she could do to them now; they didn't want t to think what she'd do after she had all her powers.

She pushed herself off the door and walked towards an awaiting minion. He popped open an umbrella and held it over her head as she was escorted to the awaiting car. If she were going to start going to school, she'd better go home and actually do her homework. Bribery and blackmail could only get her so far after all.

**AN:** Phew, I hope that was a good chapter for you all. I'm hoping to make these chapters longer as I go. As promised, here's two more bio's for you.

**Martin "Lord of Evil" Lee**

Age: Unknown

Birthday: Unknown

Gender: Male

Species: Demon/Vampire (More demon than vampire)

Favorite Saying: "You're soul belongs to me."

Family: Olivia- Mother of his child, ex-girlfriend (deceased); Marceline- daughter (alive)

Most precious possession: A family picture Marceline drew before his ex died.

Martin, who is often referred to as Boss or Lord of Evil, is the leader of a vampire gang. His gang deals in the typical illegal activity ranging from drug dealing to racketeering. They find themselves often going head to head with the Goblin Boys and Lumpy Outlaws for control of the city. He created the gang when he was younger when the Vampires were first coming to the city. They were not many in number and were often persecuted by other residents who did not bother to understand them. Martin had enough of having his kind treated like that and thus created his gang in order to, at first, protect his kind but then things changed and he created a crime empire. He has Marceline use her mother's last name in order to not give any suspicion about their relationship.

**Penelope "Lumpy" Ward**

Age: 17

Birthday: January 12

Gender: Female

Species: Lumpy Space People

Favorite saying: "Lump off!"

Family: Tom- Father (alive); Maria- Mother (alive)

Most precious possession: Her cell phone.

Lumpy is best friends with Bonnibel. Their personalities are completely opposite of each other but they manage to have a normal enough friendship. Any misadventures they tend to get into are a result of Lumpy trying to get Bonnie to loosen up and have some fun. She can be kind of bratty but she does care about her friends even if she's horrible at showing it. Her father is the chief of police, which may explain why Bonnie and her became friends in the first place since their father's have been working together trying to take down the gang leaders.


	3. Chapter 3 Of Unwanted Encounters

**AN:** Geez, I really need to plan things better when I'm writing or at least not just stop writing for months. Sorry to everyone following this story. I'd been so excited to start it and then bam! Writers block or something happened. Well at least I'm back to this and I'm going to try not to just ignore it for months again.

Also, I realize that Marceline's dad name has been revealed but I don't think I'm going to change it for this story. I'll just keep it as is and continue on, but if it bugs you guys too much let me know and I'll change it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Adventure Time.

Marceline and Bonnibel

Chapter 3 Of Unwanted Encounters

A lone figure ran through the alley way, knocking over garbage cans and whatever else got in his way. His breath was labored and his legs burned, but he couldn't slow down. Not if he wanted to live. Behind him, the steady footsteps of his pursuer echoed off the walls making it seem like it surrounded him. The goblin boy suddenly lost his footing as he turned sharply around a corner. Scrambling to his feet, he stood back up and continued his desperate escape out of the alley. The steady footsteps had not stopped and if anything, they sounded closer than ever. Pushing his legs harder, he continued his run. Relief filled him when he saw the light from a street lamp streaming into the alley. It was the exit! He would make it out alive!

The goblin boy's victory was cut short when a chain wrapped around his body.

"No! No!"

He kicked and screamed but his struggle was futile. His pursuer dragged him back further into the darkness of the alley. The goblin boy looked up in terror of the shadowy figure looming over him.

"P-Please! Let me go! I-I was just following orders!"

The shadowy figure ignored his please. Instead, he held up his left hand, it began to glow. The goblin boy's eyes widened. He knew what was about to happen next. He'd heard about this guy from his boss, but they'd always assumed it was someone from one of the other gangs taking out their rivals.

"Don't kill me please!" he sobbed.

The shadowy figure made no indication that he heard his frightened pleas. Raising his hand, he prepared to strike down his target.

"Nooooo!"

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

She tried to ignore the stares she was getting. Really. She did, but the constant gasps and open mouth staring were starting to get on her nerves. Ever since Marceline had been dropped off at school, the student body had taken to treating her like some sort of freak show. It couldn't be that odd that she was actually attending class. She'd finally lost it and yelled at everyone to cut out their staring on the threat of death. Her teacher did not take very kindly to her threatening and had once again issued her detention. That did nothing to improve her mood. The only good thing about her incredibly foul mood was that it was doing a good job of scaring everyone around her. This meant that, at least, no one would try to talk to her to find out why she was behaving like a semi decent student. She wasn't about to turn into a straight laced student just because she was being forced to be there. If anything, she wished she could be out there on the streets helping her father find out who the bastard was that killed their lieutenant. Ensuring that the gang did not fall apart, or worse, get eliminated sounded far more vital than having to sit through English class with her overly privileged classmates.

Lunch wasn't any better. Some kids tried to approach her in order to ask for her services, but she really didn't want to deal with them. She brushed them all off and went to find a good place to hide. Much to her luck, she found a room with a very comfy looking couch. She'd never been to this particular part of the school. It seemed like it was a place where meetings and presentations were held. More than likely, this is where the student council held their after school meetings. No wonder she'd never been there before. She'd never be involved in something school related like Student Council. Still, the couch in the particular room she was hiding in looked mighty inviting and she was not about to pass up a good napping spot. As far as she knew, Student Council didn't meet every day and if they were then she was sure the meeting would run all the way through lunch maybe even a few minutes longer. She'd sat through enough meetings with her father to know that meetings were never short. They tended to run well past their supposed ending time. Taking once last peek into the hallway, she made sure no one was around before heading back in and promptly flinging herself on the couch. It was as comfy as it looked and definitely the highlight of her day so far. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, completely sure that no one would disturb her sleep.

She hadn't counted on this particular office to belong to the Student Council President, who just so happened to be walking back to her office.

Bubblegum had been trying to make sure all the proper paper work was in order for the upcoming school dance. They'd been having meetings almost every day after school, but that was no longer enough time for her to make sure everything was getting done, so recently she'd been using lunch time to gather all her notes. She stepped into her office only to freeze at the sight before her.

Marceline was curled up on the couch in her office.

It was such an odd sight that Bubblegum couldn't help but just stand there and stare. If Marceline was awake, Bubblegum was sure that the vampire girl would yell at her for staring. Marceline had been in a bad mood all day because of all the stares she was receiving but even Bubblegum would have to agree that it was odd to see the girl in school two days in a row. She couldn't remember the last time that happened. Bubblegum stepped into the room and closed the door as quietly as possible. Her encounter with Marceline the day prior was still fresh in her mind. Had Marceline come seeking her out?

That seemed impossible. Why now of all times if that was the case? She was pretty sure Marceline didn't even know she was Student Council President or that this office belonged to her.

She was willing to bet that Marceline just happened to stumble into the room and decided to stay thanks to that comfy couch. Not that she could blame her. She'd taken many a nap on that couch herself. As she made her way to her desk, her eyes never left the vampire girl's prone form. Many thoughts racing through her mind but one in particular stuck out.

Should she wake her up?

If she was going to get any work done it would probably be a good idea. At least that's what she kept telling herself, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to do it. Marceline was in the same room as her and they were not throwing any barbs or glares at each other. She didn't want to ruin this. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed the vampire girl. It'd hurt terribly when Marceline told her that she never saw her as her friend and only hung out with her because of her status. It'd been the worst day of her life. To this day, the scar of that broken trust was carried around with her. Sure she had friends, but she never let them close enough to her like she had with Marceline. All her current friends knew Bubblegum, but they didn't know Bonnibel. They didn't know her past what she allowed them to know. Not like Marceline, who'd broken through all her walls without any effort and got to know the girl she'd been trying to protect.

Then she went and destroyed everything.

She hadn't realized she'd started crying until a tear fell on her hand. She quickly wiped them away and tried to regain her composure. She couldn't be in the same room as Marceline like this. It seemed like she wouldn't be getting any work done. Leaving her folder on the desk, she stood and made her way to the door. She paused and turned back to the sleeping girl.

"I miss you."

She left the room to find a bathroom to wash her face. It wouldn't be good if everyone noticed she'd been crying. As the footsteps became more and more distant, Marceline sat up on the couch. Shocked at what had just happened.

"She misses me?"

That was the last thing she thought Bubblegum would say. She was shocked that the bubblegum girl hadn't thrown her out the minute she opened the door. Truth was, she'd been awake since the moment Bubblegum entered the room. Because of the recent hits against her gang, she'd been on constant alert even when she slept. Her training made sure she was never going to be caught off guard by any sort of surprise attack. The clicking of the door had woken her up immediately, but she'd continued to fake sleep. If it was an attacker, they'd let their guard down thinking she was truly asleep and try to get close enough to strike her. So she waited patiently for whoever the intruder was to make their way over to her, but they never did. This relaxed her somewhat but then she realized that the owner of the office was more than likely the person who was there. She thought for sure the person would wake her out and then kick her out. She was surprised again she nothing happened. Then she heard it. It was faint. So faint that without her enhanced hearing, she probably would have missed it, a single sob.

That's when the person stood and went to leave the room. She hadn't expected the person to have been Bubblegum. Marceline flung herself back on the couch. She stared up at the ceiling unsure of how to take all this.

"Damn it Bonnie."

When Bubblegum returned to her office, she was disappointed to see that Marceline was already gone. She'd hoped to not break down into tears this time and just enjoy a quiet moment with her once best friend.

"What's this?"

Bubblegum walked over to couch and picked up a flower. A small note was attached to the stem with a ribbon.

_I don't like it when you cry._

Bubblegum's grip on her gift tightened.

"Then stop hurting me you idiot." She whispered.

Outside the office, Marceline silently walked away knowing that Bubblegum had received her gift.

"I'll only hurt you more if you stick around me."

She was doing this for her safety. She could never forgive herself if Bubblegum got hurt because of her. This was for the best. Really. It was.

So why did it hurt to walk away from her?

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

"We found the mole."

"Who is he?"

Martin was handed a manila folder. The Boss opened it up and skimmed the information he was handed. The frown on his face told his generals everything they needed to know. He was not happy because, if this was correct, then he'd inadvertently opened them up to this mole. A few years ago, you couldn't join the Vampire Gang unless you were yourself a vampire. However, Martin saw it as a good time to open them up to new blood, no pun intended, in order to be able to spread and become even more powerful. It seemed like a solid enough plan. More members meant more territory they could cover. Much like any army, you needed to have young blood that would help keep the gang alive and going. You could only grow so much if you limited your choice of candidates in your group.

Ash had been one of those non vampires to join. He seemed like a good underling, but looks were always deceiving. If he remembered correctly, Ash ran with Marceline's gang. The question was though, what was his involvement in the death of his general. He didn't look like he'd be strong enough to take on one of his generals so it'd make sense to hire someone to do it for him. Again though, looks were deceiving.

"Are we sure?"

"Yes."

"Proof?" Martin had to be sure of what his generals were saying. The last thing he needed was for them to just be throwing a scapegoat at him.

One of his generals gave him another folder. He opened it up and this one had pictures of Ash sneaking around Goblin turf.

"This doesn't prove anything other than he's asking for trouble for going there at a time like this."

"Maybe it's nothing, but turn to the page."

Martin did as he was told and was met with two different pictures. It showed Ash standing underneath the shade of a tree. You could hardly see but, in the second picture he was no longer alone. Somewhere in those shadows someone was there, handing Ash an envelope.

"Well this certainly doesn't bode well for our wizard friend." Martin closed the folder. "I need something more solid though. This doesn't tell me much other than he needs to be reminded of what his position is. Make sure you have him monitored at all times. Find out everything you can about him. If he is the mole, I want to know before another one of us falls."

"Should we tell Marceline?"

Martin remained silent for a moment.

"I'll tell her. Make sure you bring her straight to me after school. This can't wait. I need her to be on alert when around him."

"Yes Boss!"

Martin waited until they left his office before he sat down at his desk. He pulled opened his drawer and took out a newspaper. On the front page was the splattered the image of a taped off crime scene. Another one had been killed the night before. They didn't know who it was yet, but he didn't doubt that they'd soon find out whom. He'd had his own make sure who that non among them were missing and luckily, no one was MIA. Not even among the lower ranks. Even if his general and lieutenants couldn't keep track of everyone, the lower ranks did a good enough job of keeping tabs on each other. They had to with the line of work they were in. If someone was missing for a prolonged period of time they'd know. Any break in a pattern would be noticed right away.

Soon, he'd hear the stirring from the other gangs once they'd realize that one of their own was gone.

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

Marceline sighed in relief as the final bell rang, releasing her from her torturous day. She gathered her belongings and walked out to the entrance. Someone would be picking her up today and every day until the assassin was caught and the person who hired him taught a lesson they'd never forget. It was a pain in the ass. She hated feeling so confined but what else could she do? Painting a target on herself would be counter \productive to what her father was trying to accomplish.

"Marceline!"

She cringed at hearing that particular voice. The high nasily tone only belonged to one person.

"Lumpy." Marceline turned towards the girl. She was less than happy to see that Bubblegum was there as well. As if her day couldn't get any worse. "What do ya want?"

"Is it true that you're in a gang?"

Marceline recoiled slightly. Her eyes flickered to Bubblegum, anxious to see what her reaction was. If she'd been shocked by the blunt question, she didn't show it.

"What makes you think I am?"

"Pfft. Please, I've heard the rumors not just in school but outside too. I have a lot of connections."

Marceline turned away and walked. Much to her annoyance, the two girls followed her all the way to the pick up area. Her ride wasn't there yet.

"_Great, now I gotta wait with them."_

"Come on Marceline, I just need you to do a job for me."

"No."

"But you take jobs for other people!"

Marceline sighed. She did not want to have this sort of argument in school around so many people. She couldn't let anyone know what she was truly involved in.

"Look, I don't know what crazy things you've been hearing but I suggest you stop snooping."

"But…"

"No buts!" She rounded on the lumpy girl and glared. "If you know what's good for you, you'll drop this subject or you're going to find yourself in a more trouble than you can handle."

"Marceline."

The vampire girl turned back around to find her ride had arrived. Her underling opened the door and she stepped through without so much as sparing another glance at the two girls. She hoped that scared them. She didn't need them snooping around her. It could only lead to bad things for them.

"Ma'am, you father has requested a meeting with you."

That was unexpected. Something else must have happened.

"Then we better not keep him waiting."

The car sped through the city towards Martin's office. Everyone in the car kept an eye out for anything suspicious. They had no doubt that all the other gangs were keeping tabs of them just as they were. No one trusted each other. Not that they did before, but there was a kind of cease fire between the three major rival gangs. The unbalance the assassin was creating was dangerous. If the cease fire between them was to break, then there would be blood on the streets. Lots of blood. No one would be safe, not even civilians. Marceline's hands clenched. Everything she'd done would become useless if Bubblegum got hurt. This couldn't happen. Something had to be done to stop this descent.

The car pulled into a garage. Marceline jumped out and briskly made her way to her father's office. She knocked.

"Enter."

"You wanted to see me?"

Martin nodded. "Take a seat."

Marceline did as she was told and waited for him to begin.

"The generals think they've found who it is that's betrayed us."

"Who?"

"Ash."

"What? That idiot?"

"So you know him."

Marceline shrugged.

"He's not exactly the most intelligent underling I've had but he's good enough for basic grunt work. I've never considered him good for much more than that."

"Hmm, interesting. Tell me more about this boy."

Marceline let him know what little she knew about the boy named Ash. He was a wizard who migrated to Ooo after his parents died. He had no direction in life and no place to really call home. He had a few wizard friends who also migrated from their homeland after the civil war reached their home. The lands where the vampires hailed from and the wizards lived were neighbors and both were unstable countries with no real leaders to take control and stop the chaos. Even now, there were many who were trying to escape and live a decent life in the country where Ooo resided in. Martin knew well of the hardships that faced many who escaped since he himself was once in those shoes.

"He's a jerk sometimes and he's use to try to boss me around but I put him in his place. Obviously he doesn't know who I really am, but I wasn't about to let his insubordination go unpunished."

"When did this happen?"

Marceline shrugged.

"A few months ago I guess. He wanted to usurp me from my position as leader but he failed. Miserably. The others haven't really let him forget that."

"Interesting."

Revenge. That would be a good motivator for hiring an assassin, but if Ash was the one behind this then why hadn't he just gone after Marceline? Revenge didn't usually entail killing anyone else unless he had some sort of master scheme to not just kill Marceline, if that was truly why he was doing this, but to destroy everything around her. That seemed far too convoluted and unlikely. The only other thing he could think of was that someone else was pulling the strings. That seemed to be the more likely scenario if he were to take into account the pictures he was shown earlier. The question was though, who was pulling those strings? They needed Ash in order to catch this person.

"Do you want me to bring him in?"

"No, I want you to keep him monitored at all times. I already ordered my generals to do the same."

"You really think he's the one?"

"I can't be sure, but I need solid proof that he's the mole before I act."

"I got it. I'll have someone keep as close as possible to him without giving themselves away."

"Good. I have one more thing I need to show you." Martin tossed the newspaper over to her.

Marceline skimmed the headlines.

"Another?"

"It seems so."

"Do we know who it is?"

"Not yet, but I have no doubt we'll find out soon."

"Shit. If it was one of the Lumpy Outlaws I can already see them storming the gates of every gang stronghold."

"It wouldn't be much different if it was one of the Goblin Boys. Although they might be a lot worse considering Xergiok isn't the most stable of leaders."

"Damn it….should I not go to school tomorrow?"

"It might be safer if you did."

Marceline sighed. She was hoping that she'd cut school like normal. Having to spend another day being gawked at was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to agree that it would be safer if she did. Assuming they really would lose all their cool and just start attacking then she'd be a target. As far as anyone knew, she was a leader of a small gang that amounted to a bunch of kids, which was fine with her. The lower the profile she kept the better. The problem was though, if the leaders of the other gangs didn't care who it was that they attacked and went with whomever they could get their hands on. She'd be a perfect target if they decided anyone would do. At least at school, she'd be shielded from anything that might happen if only during the day.

"I'm assuming you want me to stay the night here then."

"Yes. I'll have new clothes and other things delivered for you. On paper you'll still be living at your apartment. We wouldn't want anyone suspecting anything."

That was going to be a pain. She wished she could have her things moved to her father's base, but it would look mighty odd if a bunch of thugs were suddenly moving things from a young girl's apartment. She'd have to suck it up and order a bunch of new clothes for her stay at her fathers.

"Got it. I guess I'll go settle down in the guest room."

"This is only temporary."

Marceline hoped it would be. She liked her freedom very much and having to concede certain parts of it sucked. This was important though so she really shouldn't be complaining about something that seemed so trivial when lives were at stake.

"I get a feeling the Mayor is going to be less than happy if things do go down."

"That man thinks he can bring us down, but he's failed to do so all these years. If anything, the only thing that can destroy our empires is ourselves."

Marceline couldn't agree more. At the rate things were going though, it was possible the already unstable leaders of the other gangs could possibly ruin a lot more than just their gangs. Maybe though, she wasn't giving them enough credit. Perhaps they wouldn't overreact.

**-Marceline and Bonnibel-**

A figure floated hurriedly through the night.

"Ah!" it ducked as a ball of fire flew just above his head.

"No, no, no, no!" He repeated over and over as he ran.

He looked over his shoulder and his fears were confirmed. The person chasing him was still there. Walking in a steady pace like it wasn't in any hurry to catch him. Like it knew it _was_ going to catch him. The frightening thought only caused the Lumpy Space boy to float as fast as he could. He needed to tell his boss it wasn't one of the other gangs performing the hits. He needed to let him know the identity of the assassin targeting them all.

A chain wrapped around his body.

"No! Don't kill me! Please!"

The assassins paid his victim no mind. The Lumpy Space boy could only struggle in terror as he was drawn closer to the assassin. The alley lit up for a moment as a scream ripped through the night.

**AN:** And that's the end of that chapter. Here's to hoping it doesn't take me almost a year to update again.


	4. Chapter 4 Of Crimes and Punishments

**AN**: Hello once again everyone. Hey, it didn't take me a year to update this one this time. I suppose that's something to be happy about. Still, I apologize for the long wait. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Adventure Time.

Marceline and Bonnibel

Of Crimes and Punishments

"Things have gotten a lot worse already." Adam threw his newspaper onto the table in disgust. "I should've worked sooner to take down these monsters."

Bonnibel picked up the paper her father had thrown and read the headline story.

**Chaos In The Streets!**

She frowned as she read on about yet another drive by shooting in one of the poorer neighborhoods of the city. This was the 5 one in the last few days and it was only getting worse. It wasn't just one gang that was causing problems though, it was all of them. Before, they seemed to have some sort of truce that kept them from attacking each other indiscriminately, but now something happened to change all that. No one was sure what it was, but many speculated it had something to do with the mysterious deaths of 3 gang members in the weeks leading up to this violence.

"Don't be so hard on yourself dear." Adam's loving wife, Natasha, said as she placed a plate of food in front of him. "You couldn't have known things were going to turn out like this."

"I guess you're right…."

"The important thing is to take care of this now before things turn really ugly."

"You're right. I've been working with the Police Chief to increase patrols in the areas affected and hopefully we can begin to predict where they'll attack next. Lucky for us, they only seem to be targeting each other at the moment, but who knows how long it will stay like that."

Bonnibel set the newspaper aside so that she could eat her breakfast as well. School would be starting soon and she didn't want to be late.

"We must all be careful from now on." Natasha said to her daughter. "I know you hate having them around, but your bodyguards will be with you at all times when you leave this house."

Bonnibel sighed in resignation. Her bodyguards were good guys, but having them around made it harder for others to approach her. It was a safety measure she would begrudgingly take for the time being.

"I understand."

Natasha smiled. The family finished up their meal before they each headed out for their day. Bonnibel sighed as the two Banana Guards followed her into the school building. The students readily parted for her as she walked down the hallways. She hated this kind of thing. Sure she was the mayor's daughter but things like this just made it harder for her to be able to be herself around her peers. They all saw her as someone they could never be equals with and they never tried. The only person to do so had been Marceline. That infuriating girl had been the only one to try and succeed at getting past her walls. Upon reaching her class, the Banana Guards were ordered to stay outside the classroom. She may be agreeing to have them around, but having them inside with her would only distract the class. She certainly did not want to do something like that. As Bonnibel walked through the door, she was surprised to see that Marceline was already there. It appeared she wasn't the only one who was surprised since many of her classmates kept shooting the dark haired girl questioning looks.

Marceline was never early for school. If she showed up late it was considered a miracle and if she showed up at all it was a sign of the end of the world. However, Marceline had not only been showing up to school for the last few days, but she'd been early as well. It had everyone confused and scared. Bonnibel walked to her seat silently as she looked at Marceline from the corner of her eyes. The dark haired was resting her head on the desk, using her arms as pillows. She had to wonder if Marceline was sleeping again.

Since she'd been attending school the last few days, Marceline had also been going to her office to sleep during lunch. Bonnibel couldn't help but wonder why Marceline needed to sleep so much. She admitted that even she used her office to take a nap when she'd had a long night of studying or simply staying up late, but was it normal for someone to sleep so much? Marceline was also using class time to sleep when she could get away with it.

"Alright class, settle down and open your books to page 25. That means you too Marceline."

Bonnibel glanced at the dark haired girl to see if she'd comply with the teacher. Marceline lifted her head up.

"Yeah, I got it."

The pink haired girl couldn't help but notice the bags under her eyes. Marceline looked so tired. Now that she was sitting up, Bonnibel could see her hair was disarrayed and not in the stylish way she normally wore it in. As class proceeded, Bonnibel kept glancing the dark haired girl's way. She couldn't help but notice the way Marceline kept looking out towards the window or jumping at sudden noises. What was wrong? Bonnibel could tell something had the girl on edge and she wished she knew what it was. For something to have Marceline worried… it must be bad enough to losing sleep over.

Classes were hard to pay attention to for both girls but for different reasons. Marceline was more than relieved when lunch time finally came. She waited for everyone to leave before making her way to the student council wing. For the last few days, she'd been making herself at home in the Student Council president's office. It was the only place where she could completely relax and actually get a bit of sleep. Currently, she was unable to do so in her father's hideout. The thing she'd been dreading happened. The assassin killed another, this time from the Goblin Boys gang. Like predicted Xergiok went berserk and immediately launched an assault on all the gangs in the area. The peace agreements had all but been dissolved in one night of violence. Xergiok was refusing to meet with the other gang leaders in order to restore some peace between them. It wasn't like the Lumpy Outlaws were being very cooperative either. Both leaders had completely lost it. Martin was the only one trying to stop the mayhem but it wasn't exactly easy when you're fighting two fronts, three if you counted the assassin that was still out there and hadn't stopped his killing spree. Instead, he was concentrating on keeping the casualties within the vampires as low as possible.

Staying at her father's base had definitely been a good call seeing as her old apartment complex got hit not long after word about the latest assassin's victim became known. Since she was supposedly only a low level member, her location wasn't exactly kept secret, not to mention a few of the members of her gang also resided in the complex. It was an obviously easy hit for Goblin Boys to make. Any vampire they could take out was worth it in their minds. Still, being at her father's made her realize just how bad the situation was getting. Because she was there, she was at most of the meetings listening to the day to day casualties and predictions for future attacks. Being there and just knowing that at any moment, they could be targeted next was frightening. She'd never been scared like this before. You never really realized how real the danger was until you're sitting there, waiting for it to happened.

The waiting was definitely the worst part. She wished if they were going to attack, they should just do it and get it over with. Marceline laid face down on the couch. She was tired of all the countless thoughts going through her mind. She just wanted to get some sleep before having to make it through the rest of school. Before returning to the base where she felt more trapped than safe.

Bonnibel couldn't help but wonder if Marceline was in her office again. If she was then she was probably sleeping again. Not that she minded though. With Marceline asleep, the two didn't have a chance to start a fight with one another. Instead, she enjoyed the silence between them, letting her reminisce about old times with the dark haired girl; a far happier time when Bonnibel felt she could take on the world as long as Marceline had her back. Bonnibel instructed her guards to once again wait for her outside before opening the door to her office. If Marceline was in there again, she was afraid they'd kick her out. She didn't want that. She didn't want to lose this thing she'd gained with Marceline even if it felt a bit sad that she was trying so hard to just be around her even when she was asleep. She was happy to find the sleeping vampire on her couch like usual. She closed the door behind her silently and made herself comfortable at her desk. She began shifting through her paperwork but stopped after a few minutes. She looked towards Marceline again. Although she enjoyed the silence, she still wished she could just talk to her without having to worry they'd say something bad to each other.

"You can come in here anytime you need somewhere to go." Bonnibel found herself saying. "I don't know what's troubling you, but this can be your sanctuary if you need one."

Marceline didn't stir.

"You know, Daddy has been worried about all the gang attacks lately. It's getting pretty bad. So far there haven't been any civilian casualties, but it's only a matter of time. There have been many injured already from all this."

Bonnibel shifted through more of her paperwork.

"But on a less morbid note, the school dance is coming up soon. I know you've never paid much attention to school activities, but I hope you come. We've been working on making it a fun theme for everyone and I know you'd probably get a kick out of this, but we're making it an eighties rock theme with the big hair and everything. We're hoping to get a local band to come and play but nothing's set in stone yet. There's still a lot of work left to be done."

Bonnibel continued to go through the list of things that still needed to be done and even talked about how Lumpy hadn't given up on making Brad pay for dumping her. Time passed far too soon for Bonnibel. The warning bell went off letting everyone know that lunch time was over. Bonnibel gathered her things and made for the door.

"We'll talk more tomorrow. Okay?"

She wasn't expecting a response from the sleeping girl so she left without looking back. As soon as the door closed Marceline opened an eye. She made sure the footsteps faded away before she sat up on the couch. A frown adorned her face.

"Damn it Bonnibel." She rubbed her tired face.

Standing up, she made her way back to class, her mind now filled with things she thought she was done thinking about.

**xxx**

Bonnibel looked worriedly at Marceline. Today the dark haired girl was in especially worse shape. The bags under her eyes were more noticeable than before not to mention her eyes were far more bloodshot. What was happening to her? Every few seconds she'd check her phone as well, like she was waiting for something important to come through. Bonnibel no longer knew what to make of Marceline's ragged appearance or her strange behavior. At least, she was still showing up in her office to sleep. She'd started to make sure that her office was never locked even when she had to attend a meeting with the student council. She also continued to express her concern for the sleeping girl during their short times together in the office. She never expected a response back but sometimes she wished Marceline would answer her even if it meant risking another fight between them.

But she wasn't the only noticing Marceline's decline, other students began to talk. Everyone had a theory about what drove Marceline to this point. Most seemed to think she'd become an informant to the police and was now on the hit list of some assassin the gangs had hired. Others whispered about how her gang had turned on her and now she was struggling to keep her power. Bonnibel didn't like hearing any of the rumors mainly because they all involved Marceline being in a gang to begin with. The pink haired girl still refused to believe that Marceline would be so careless as to join a group like that, but there was always that doubt in her mind. That little voice that asked her what she actually knew about the vampire girl.

"Marceline!"

"What? I'm not sleeping." Marceline grumbled. She'd gotten in trouble more than once for dozing off in math class, but today she was doing a good job of staying awake.

"Your phone?" the teacher pointed out impatiently.

"Just checking the time."

"We have a perfectly good working clock right there." The teacher pointed above the whiteboard. "There is no reason to have your phone out during class."

"Lay off! I wasn't doing anything!" Marceline angrily retorted. Bonnibel had noticed that Marceline was a lot more short tempered than before. She'd get into arguments with students and teachers alike.

"That's it! You're behavior has gotten worse these last few weeks. Although we're glad you began showing up for classes, it seems you're not here for the sake of your education."

"Fine. Whatever. Give me detention like you always do then."

"No, I think you need a different kind of punishment this time."

"Oh what, you're going to suspend me?"

"That would be counterproductive to what I want you to learn. No, Marceline, in lieu of a normal punishment, I'm going to have you help out the student council prepare for the dance."

"What!" Marceline slammed her hands on the desk, startling everyone in the process. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I can. The other teachers and I have been talking and decided should you act out again, this would be your punishment. It's already been cleared with the Principal as well."

"No, you can't! Just suspend me! Hell, expel me!"

"Marceline, you are overreacting. While your behavior has been bad, it isn't bad enough to expel you. We think there is something still redeemable in you and this is what we chose. Deal with it and be prepared to report to the student council to help them with the dance."

"There has to be something else. There has to…"

The teacher heard the almost desperate plea in the vampire girl's words.

"I don't see why this is such a horrible thing. You're _helping_ with a dance. It's not like you're doing anything too terrible."

Marceline glanced briefly in Bonnibel's direction.

"That's not why…"she whispered to herself, but Bonnibel heard.

The pink haired girl griped her hands in her lap. So she was the problem? That's why Marceline would rather be expelled than be around her? It hurt. A lot more than she thought it would. If that's how Marceline felt though, then she didn't want to be around her either.

"Is there no other punishment she can be given?" Bonnibel asked, hoping she wouldn't have to be around the dark haired girl for the next few weeks. She wasn't sure she could now that she knew Marceline really didn't want to be around her.

The teacher sighed. She didn't know why even Bonnibel was trying to change her decision, but her choice of punishment wasn't going to change.

"Marceline," The teacher directs her attention to the vampire girl. "You will report to the student council room after school today to begin your punishment." She then looked to Bonnibel. "I expect you to see her punishment through and make sure she helps with the dance. Understood?"

"Yes." They both answer in defeat.

Marceline took her seat without further complaint. The teacher went back to her lesson leaving both girls with their thoughts.

Class soon ended. Marceline found herself slowly making her way to the Student Council's meeting room. Bonnibel had told her to go there after school. The dark haired girl was so mad. That teacher didn't know what she was doing. Now was not the time for her to be around Bonnibel. Not with all the danger that was inevitably coming her way. She didn't want to be the reason Bonnibel got hurt because of the life she chose. That's why she stayed away from her all this time. This though, this was not going to help her. This punishment would do nothing but put Bonnibel in harm's way, but she couldn't tell the teacher that. She couldn't without turning her dad in. She was trapped trying to keep both of them safe from different things. Marceline reached the door to the meeting room. She spotted the two banana guards standing beside it. Part of her felt relieved to know that Bonnibel's father wasn't a complete idiot and made the two guards follow the pink haired girl around. She knew Bonnibel probably wasn't happy about it but this was for her own good. It would keep her safe. Maybe, this punishment wouldn't be so bad. As long as these guards were around her all the time, then she could just concentrate on doing her job and not getting into a fight with Bonnibel. She could do this.

The pink haired girl heard the door open. Sure enough, Marceline stood in the door way to the room. The others ceased their chatter and watched with some apprehension as Marceline took a seat in the far corner of the room. Bonnibel cleared her throat.

"Let's begin the meeting."

The meeting was simple enough. They went over the list of things that needed to be done for the dance. The budget was double checked and expenses were gone over thoroughly. Marceline was impressed how well Bonnibel had things organized and running. With that, she began to assign tasks for everyone to work on. One group would be handling decorations; another would take care of refreshments and snacks and so on and so forth.

"I think that's all. Everyone knows what to do so let's make sure we make this dance the best we can."

Everyone nodded and began to file out of the room. Marceline couldn't help but notice she had yet to be assigned anything. Not that she minded but she didn't want to get in trouble for something she didn't do. She stood up from her chair and walked over to Bonnibel who was packing her things away.

"So, uh, what am I supposed to do?"

Bonnibel stopped gathering her things to look at the vampire girl. The entire day she'd been trying to figure out what to assign Marceline to do. Unfortunately, she came to realize that if she put Marceline in a group with the other student council members, she'd end up scaring them into doing all her work. That only left one option: placing the vampire girl with herself. Marceline wouldn't be able to scare her into doing anything. In fact, she couldn't think of anyone else who could stand up to her, much less get her to do something.

"You will be my assistant."

"Wha?"

"You're going to be my personal assistant."

"And there was nothing else you could think for me to do? Nothing?"

Bonnibel once again felt that familiar pain in her chest. Even now, Marceline was still trying to keep away from her. She steeled herself.

"It would be better this way. Otherwise, you'd just scare the others into doing all your work."

"Pfft, now why would you think I'd do something like that?"

"Please Marceline, I know you."

"Do you?"

Bonnibel finished packing her things.

"I thought I did. Maybe I don't anymore."

Marceline was kicking herself for having said something so careless.

"Bonnie…."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Bonnibel cut her off. She picked up her bag and quickly made her way out of the room. Marceline could do nothing but stand there and watch her leave again because of something stupid she'd said.

"God damn it." Marceline slammed her hands against the table. "Why do I keep doing this?"

It really was a confounding problem. This thing she had with Bonnibel was becoming far more complicated than she'd thought and it was all her fault. For years now, she'd managed to avoid being around the pink haired girl at all costs even though they attended the same schools. Now though, she suddenly couldn't keep herself away from her. Hell, she was sleeping in the pink girls office even after she'd found out who it belonged to. Now here she was about to spend even more time with her to help with this stupid dance.

"_I hope you'll come."_ Marceline recalled what Bonnibel had said to her while she thought she was sleeping.

That was another thing that confounded her. Bonnibel knew she was sleeping there and yet she didn't do anything about it. The pink haired girl was going out of her way to leave the office unlocked when she had meetings, just for her. Why? Didn't Bonnibel hate her for what she did? Wasn't that why they couldn't stand being around each other more than 5 seconds before they started throwing insults at each other? But if that was the case then Bonnibel wouldn't be so nice to her. Not even when she was asleep. You didn't stop hating someone just because they were suddenly comatose. That's not how hate worked. Then maybe Bonnibel didn't hate her like she thought.

"You're making this harder for me Bonnibel." Marceline whispered to herself as she walked out of the room as well. "Then again, I'm not doing myself much favors either."

Marceline's phone beeped. She checked the message that came through and cursed. Another attack occurred in a different part of the city. This time involving all three of the gangs. Things were not getting prettier out there and she knew it was only going to get worse before it got better. She shouldn't be concerning herself so much with things like her current relationship with Bonnibel. Not when the violence was moving closer and closer to her. The vampire girl suddenly felt like her goal was clear once again. She had to keep Bonnibel safe. That was the whole point of distancing herself from the pink haired girl to begin with. Whatever was happening between them now would pass and things would go back to normal as soon as this whole punishment was over. She just had to keep her head clear and remind herself what she needed to do every day she was around her.

The vampire girl was determined to make it through this without complicating matters even more. Her phone buzzed again. It was a call this time.

"Yeah?"

"We're here."

"Be there in a few. Oh and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Tell dad I need those meds."

"Very well."

Marceline ended the call and quickened her pace. If she was going to keep her head in the game, she needed to be able to get some sleep. She had known she wasn't going to be able to hide it from her dad that she'd been unable to rest for long. Almost immediately, Martin had pulled her into his office and asked what was wrong. She'd tried to play it off and say it was only a random case of insomnia. She'd had them before and it was no big deal. Plus she didn't want to disappoint him by seeming weak during this crisis. Martin though, knew better. He'd told her that it was okay to be scared. This wasn't something that she was prepared to face and he wasn't expecting her to try to take care of this alone. That's when he offered her some sleeping medication. Her intake of them would be monitored by him since he didn't want her to become dependent on them. She would only use them long enough to help her get back into a normal sleeping habit. She'd refused at first because she was somewhat afraid she'd become too dependent on them. Instead, she'd tried other means to find rest but nothing worked. The only times she'd really gotten a chance to do so was in Bonnibel's office.

That wouldn't suffice anymore. As much as she hated giving in, she needed those pills now. If she was going to make it through helping out with this dance, she'd need to get all the rest she could.

**AN:** That's the end of this chapter. Sorry it took so long. I seem to be taking way too long on updating things in general, but thank you for sticking with me. Reviews, comments, suggestions are always appreciated so if you have any feel free to leave one. Until next time!


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